Woodbine Farmer’s Market celebrates 10th anniversary

Holly Dillender, manager of the market, said there will be a celebration at the market with live music, face painting, pumpkin seed planting, wine tasting, and free hot dogs and cake.

“The weather should be beautiful, it should be fun, there’s plenty of stuff for the kids, so everyone should come out to have some fun,” she said.

The business has come a long ways in the past decade, Dillender said. While the family had toyed around with the idea of building a market for a few years, 2006 was the year the idea was turned into a marketplace.

As of now, roughly 8 acres of the family’s 1,800 acres are used exclusively for gardening produce for the market. Dillender said every year it’s been a treat watching the business grow and grow.

“We’ve been really blessed to have great customers,” she said. “We never anticipated in our wildest dreams that it would become as busy and as popular as it has.”

Despite the success, Dillender said it hasn’t come without its setbacks. This year especially, she said the weather has proven problematic in keeping supplies up. The farm is low on peaches, plums and apples after two unusually cold days in early April.

However, she said there should be enough to get through the summer.

According to the market’s website, the land was purchased in 1898. In 1998, the commonwealth designated the farm a “Century Farm” for being continuously and actively farmed within the family for 100 years and counting.

Looking forward, Dellinder said she just wants to keep her customers happy, and keep finding new ones – who are becoming more elusive, though still present, as the years wear on.

The Woodbine Farmer’s Market, 5199 John Marshall Highway, Strasburg, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today to celebrate its 10th anniversary.